Letter: Math problems?

In last week’s Sunday Courier, Tim Carter, county schools superintendent, is quoted as saying: “The schools lose an average of 24 percent of first year teachers, and 20 percent of second-year teachers — each year.”

He went on to say, “What industry loses 44 percent of its workers each year?”

Unless things have changed since my math classes, it is a mathematical impossibility to lose 24 percent of one group and 20 percent of another, and lose 44 percent of the total — unless we are also losing essentially all of the remaining third year and beyond teachers. Mr. Carter might check his math with one of his math teachers!

Bruce Gebhardt

Prescott

Editor’s Note: Twenty-four plus 20 is the 44 percent Superintendent Carter was referring to; the schools lose an average of 24 percent of their first-year teachers and 20 percent of their second-year teachers, for a total of 44 percent each year.